Second Generation: A Tale of Racism, Romance, Revenge, and Relics
by VerseWarden
Summary: Ten years after the Battle of Salem, Remnant society is beginning to rebuild. While many lives were lost, they were not in vain. Now, as Grimm activity and crime is at an all-time low, something is reawakening the forces of darkness. it is up to the new generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses to save Remnant once again.
1. Prologue

It's hard to believe that the deciding battle of the War of Remnant came to a close five years ago. Grimm still roam the lands of Remnant, but their numbers are dwindling rapidly. However, recent events have sparked a reawakening with those monstrosities of the darkness. The White Fang has been reformed and crime is at an all-time low. However, there are still those who operate in the shadows.

I know not what they call themselves, but they seek only to continue the work of the fallen queen, bringing death to all humanity. Countless lives were sacrificed to end her reign of darkness. Many heroes were born through fire, and to the people of Remnant, their sacrifices would not be in vain. The people, now free and hopeful, have erected monuments to remember these fallen warriors.

Once humanity was united against a common foe, they grew stronger. But it is important that as a species, they do not become complacent. Something is stirring in the air, and those who would fight for the dark are beginning to reemerge. If humanity is to survive the storm that's headed their way, they'll need to do so together. But heed my words. They were able to claim victory over the queen, but they will bow before a king. He is biding his time in the dark, waiting to deliver the final blow.

With that being said, humanity has proven more resourceful than ever. If they can maintain the spirit of creativity they hold dear, they might just have a chance to survive what's coming.


	2. Origins, Part 1

The day was finally here. As all the newest students were climbing on to the airship, young Verse Warden couldn't help but wonder what would lie head of him in Beacon. He was honored to be one of the first students attending the newly-rebuilt school, but Verse had other things to think about. He sat in the back of the airship, staying away from anyone else. He used the time to think about how he had managed to come as far as he had, escpecially given his less-than-stellar beginnings.

He remembered growing up in Mandala. He could look back and see himself with his family back home. He was nine years old, walking home with his younger sister Sky when they heard the horrible news. The town chief, a bigoted, racist man by the name of Cobalt Drew, had delivered on his promises to rid Mandala of all faunus. Before his eyes, the massacre began. He believed that his family was safe because they could hide. He always wore the cloak his mother made him, and his feathers were obscured from view.

He immediately starting running home, grabbing Sky's hand to make sure she kept up. When they arrived, he was greeted by a sight he'd never forget. As they got home, the children had to witness their mother Olive get shot through the head by a hunter. He was looking to slay the entire family, just to earn a few hundred Lien. Not knowing what to do, Verse and Sky took off running, but quickly found themselves being chased by the same hunter.

They were able to escape him for a while, but Sky tripped over a loose stone a mile down the path. Knowing what was next, she threw Verse her necklace. Verse was soon forced to watch her be brutally and viciously murdered in front of his eyes. Verse had nowhere left to go, so he simply ran away. He was the only faunus to escape the massacre alive.

Years passed, and Verse was able to stumble into the kingdom of Vale. Orphaned and alone, he was taken in by a small orphanage under a kindhearted woman named Sister Margaret. He would spend the next several years there, but he never had any friends. Verse often went up to the roof to be alone. One day, he found a notepad and a pencil in his room and tried his hand at writing. He found a love for poetry, and grew in his skill as a writer. He eventually gained recognition for all his work.

Once he was old enough, Sister Margaret enrolled him in Signal Academy. It was there that he learned how to fight. In his second year, he was allowed to craft his own weapon. Verse never really appreciated big, complicated weapons, so he built the Falchion Lyric. It was a simple broadsword that could double as a dust shotgun. Verse was incredibly proud of his design. He began to advance in his class, and eventually graduated at the top of his class. During graduation, his head teacher took him aside and personally unlocked his aura, revealing his poetic semblance.

Verse was more than ready for his new life at Beacon Academy. The only question in the back of his mind was how he'd continue to hide his feathers. He wondered if he would finally meet someone he could call a family.


	3. Origins, Part 2

"Stay calm. Don't think about him. This is your journey."

Orion couldn't help but look back on his past as he rode the airship to his new life in Beacon Academy. He kept to himself, sitting by the window, eagerly awaiting the first amazing view of the main tower. As he waited, he looked back in remembrance.

He remembered his old family, if it could even be called that. He was born to a nomadic tribe of hunters and gatherers, traveling in between the kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo. Immediately from the moment he was born, his life became a living hell. After his mother died in childbirth, he was left to his father Tyler. Tyler begrudgingly raised the boy, but blamed him for what happened. As such, Orion was held to impossible standards.

Any time Orion would make a mistake or speak out of turn, he was rewarded with a slap to the face, courtesy of his father. It eventually got so bad that a slap wasn't enough to satisfy Tyler.

Orion finally spoke out against his torment when he was five years old. Unfortunately for him, this caused his father to snap. That night, he went into his son's tent and knocked the boy unconscious, tying him to a post by his wrists.

Orion's torment only began then. The moment he woke up, the first thing he saw was his father standing over him, brandishing a bullwhip and a crooked smile on his face. Orion was awake long enough to feel the lashes on his back. After seven strikes, his father retired to his own tent, leaving Orion to die in the cold night.

However, Tyler didn't tie the boy's wrists very well, so he was able to slip out and run away. After running for two days, he came across a small village called Enzaia. After looking around, he found it was abandoned, ransacked by a tribe of murderers and thieves. There was nobody left alive in the village, and the trauma Orion endured attracted a massive pack of Beowolves to the area. Orion looked up at them and was afraid, but for some reason they backed away and ran.

As it turns out, they weren't running from Orion, but rather the man behind him. After Orion turned around, he was greeted by a tall man dressed in red. The man told him that he was a huntsman by the name of Mars Singh. Mars, after clearing the area of Grimm, took the young boy under his wing, giving him his first taste of fatherhood.

Mars took Orion with him to his home in Vale City. Over the next several years, Mars taught the boy everything he knew. Orion eventually grew into a love of painting, and would always have a new portrait to show his father figure. Orion began to have hope for his future. On Orion's eleventh birthday, Mars finally took him along on a mission, making sure to unlock his aura. From then on, Orion could see one minute into the future, appearing to him as an intense hallucination.

Orion's happiness couldn't last forever, though. During the mission, Orion made a massive mistake and ended up costing Mars his life. Devastated, Orion picked up his weapon and began to fight in his name. He quickly had to return to the life of a wanderer. Eventually, he was able to return to his former home in Vale City.

Once there, Orion kept pushing himself past his limits until he was old enough to apply to Beacon. Even though he was wait-listed, he was able to get into the coveted academy. Now, as he waits on the airship, his new life at Beacon is about to begin.


	4. Origins, Part 3

Lyla was absolutely ecstatic. After working so hard, it was finally time to embark on her way to Beacon Academy. The moment was bittersweet for the young girl, as she'd also be saying goodbye to her family on Chalice. Before she boarded the boat, her mother Ivy ran to her, wrapping her daughter in a tender hug. "Make us proud," she whispered, as Lyla got aboard the boat.

The boat ride wasn't very long, as Chalice was only about fifty miles off the coast of Sanus. From the shore, it was a short walk to where the Beacon airships were loading. As she climbed aboard the airship, she sat near the front, not bothering much with the view. Lyla knew that nothing could beat the view from Chalice's mountains. So instead, Lyla took the time to reflect on herself.

Lyla was born and raised on Chalice Island. She never really knew any other home in the world. She lived a normal and happy life there until she was four. On her fourth birthday, her father Aster forcibly unlocked the girl's aura. He believed that as he was an esteemed Huntsman, fighting would be in her genes. What he wasn't counting on was the nature of her Semblance. The little girl suddenly developed a migraine and started hearing voices swirl around inside her head. She could feel every emotion of her father; she was bearing all the pain he ever bore at once.

It all proved too much for Lyla to handle. As her situation worsened, she slipped into a coma. She wouldn't awaken for a year. During that time, her mind was able to wander, so she delved deep into her own subconscious mind to further understand herself. She realized that by a physical touch, she could feel other people's emotions. She spent the time mentally training herself so that she wouldn't break down again. To her, everything during that time felt like a lucid dream.

She was finally able to wake up a year later, having mentally trained herself in the use of her Semblance. However, things weren't the same when she woke. Her first sight upon awakening was her mother, but she seemed different. She was ill and appeared bloated. That's when Lyla received the news. During her time comatose, her mother got pregnant. Soon, Lyla would have a new baby brother.

Lyla was absolutely elated at the news. Time seemed to fly until the fateful day her brother was born. Aster and Ivy gave her the opportunity to name him. She came up with Ash, since the hair on the baby's head was a bright gray. Lyla would end up growing up with her newly expanded family for the next several years.

On Ash's sixth birthday, Lyla's family decided to take him on a journey. They were going to climb Mount Orchard, the tallest mountain on the island, together. The ascent was uncomplicated, as many climbers had etched out a path into the through the groves. But, disaster struck on their descent. As they climbed back down the mountain, a ledge broke loose, and Ash fell onto a platform below. The family went down to rescue him as quickly as they could and sent the boy to a hospital. He had broken both his legs, and would need prosthetic replacements. The family was too poor to afford them, so Ash was bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Lyla couldn't help but feel that what happened that day was her fault, even though in reality it what nothing more than a freak accident. From that day forward, Lyla vowed to protect people. She figured the best way to do that was to become a Huntress. So, her family enrolled her in Signal Academy when she was old enough. She was never the brightest student, but she did well enough. While she was at Signal, she developed a crush on a short blond goofball, but never had the courage to talk to him and learn his name. Lyla graduated in good standing at Signal, and was invited to extend her training at Beacon when the next school year starts. She went home to Chalice to spend one last summer with her family.

Now, as Lyla sat on the airship, she wondered where her life as a huntress would take her. She gazed toward the back of the airship when she saw his face. It was the boy from Signal. Hopefully, she'd finally have the guts to talk to him.


	5. Origins, Part 4

"Just keep the mask on. Jack Mitchell is dead. You are not him anymore. You are Noir. I must atone for my crimes." Noir couldn't help thinking to himself as he stepped off the boat. He had finally made it to the Port of Vale. He quickly got off the boat before anyone noticed the stowaway. He begrudgingly began the long, arduous walk toward the airship to Beacon Academy. During this journey, he had plenty of time to reflect on himself.

Noir was born in Atlas as Michael Wentz, but he would never remember his name. From the moment he was born, his skin was covered with rashes and boils that his parents could not explain. Within a week, the baby was having trouble breathing. His parents resorted to desperate measures. The little boy was taken away from his home by Atlesian scientists desperate to research this new disease and cure the young child.

He was taken to an unknown facility deep in the heart of Atlas. Over the next couple years, he was subjected to a series of painful experiments to discover more about this new disease that had taken hold of the boy from infancy. When he was five years old, the boy woke up for the first time. He was unable to speak, so the doctors had to do everything to teach him. Two years later, he was able to form basic sentences.

The day arrived when the scientists, who had incompetently lost the files on the boy, asked him if he could remember his name. Unfortunately, the boy's illness caused him extreme amnesia and bouts of blind rage. Since he could not remember anything, they simply asked him to choose a name for himself. The only thing he could think of at the time was Jack Mitchell, so he went by that.

When he was eight, the doctors drew a sample of his blood and, thanks to a technological breakthrough, were able to neutralize and cure the unknown virus before it spread to anyone else. However, killing the disease did not remove its effects on the boy. He still had no memory of who he once was, and was prone to lose control of his anger. Occasionally, he would even lose some of his short-term memory.

After being cured, Jack was released from quarantine. Having nowhere to go, he headed south to the main city of Atlas. He had to fight through the wilderness to survive, as the harsh cold and the deadly wildlife threatened his life at every turn. Eventually, he made into the inner city of Atlas, but found he had no way to eat. He immediately sought out a job working as a waiter for a failing restaurant. This would at the very least earn him enough money for clothes and food.

His fortune ran out quickly, though. When he was 14 years old, he had a run-in with the aftermath of his illness. He lashed out against an irritating customer when he lost control of his rage, accidentally slaughtering the man. From that moment, he ran. As he headed for the port, Jack vowed to make up for his crimes. He vowed never to take another life, instead protecting humanity. He started to wear a black mask to hide his face from view. To signify this complete change in persona, he changed his name to Noir. He hoped he would have the chance to start anew in Vale.

So, he stowed away on a cargo freighter to go where he could start again. Nobody knew the man behind the mask in Vale, so he began a new life as Noir. He applied to Beacon Academy using his experiences in the Atlesian wilderness. As he boarded the airship to the esteemed facility, he gazed back, one last time, upon the life he would leave behind. He spoke the truth. Jack Mitchell was dead and gone. His past would not define him anymore. It was time to make a new name for himself as a Huntsman.


	6. First Impressions

"Would all students please take your seats. The airship to Beacon will be taking off shortly." This warm voice was the last thing the students of the newly-rebuilt Beacon Academy would hear. As the airship's turbines began to roar, everyone took their seats.

Before they knew what was happening, the airship took off with a jolt. Lyla never had enough time to strap in, so she found herself tossed to the back of the ship. Someone was able to stop her fall before she got hurt. She turned around to thank the mysterious man, but stopped in her tracks when she saw his face. It was none other than the boy she had met at Signal, but what was his name again?

He looked at her with a kind smile. "You really should be more careful. You could've been hurt," he teased. He had a soft ring to his voice. "I'm Verse. It looks like we might be classmates." Lyla froze in her tracks.

 _'Verse'._

She thought to herself. It was such a simple and understated name. "Well, I'm Lyla. I think we've met before. I saw you a few times in biology class back at Signal. Weren't you, like, top of our class?"

Verse thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think I was. It's crazy how so many of our class got accepted into the biggest Academy on Remnant. Although, there are still a few people I don't recognize. Like that that guy over there."

Verse and Lyla looked to the front of the ship and saw a thin man wearing a black mask. He seemed to be keeping to himself. He didn't speak much, and he seemed lost in thought. "Yeah, I saw him. What's his deal? He looks like he doesn't know how to be around people," Lyla asked hesitantly.

They looked on as another student, dressed in orange, came up to the masked man. The boy started to speak to him. He kept a wide grin on his face as he began talking. "This is a long flight, isn't it? I saw that you looked lonely and wanted to see if you were okay," he said. The boy didn't seem to realize how well his voice echoed in the airship. The masked man didn't respond, so the boy kept talking. "Well, I'm Orion. I'm sure we'll be pretty good friends at Beacon."

Finally, the masked man spoke. "No, we won't." He spoke bluntly, and with little emotion. "I'm not looking for friends. Just figuring out a way to survive."

This was all it took to wipe the smile off Orion's face. "Oh, well… I hope you come around to changing your mind!" Orion was not about to give up hope on the man in the mask. "Can I at least get your name?"

"I'm Noir. That's all you need to know about me." The bluntness in his tone was enough to let Orion know that their conversation was effectively over.

Meanwhile, as Verse and Lyla were looking on at the two, Verse spoke up. "Welp, It looks like this is going to be an interesting year!"


	7. Arrival

"Whoa. Check it out! I can see the clock tower from here!" At this incredible realization, Verse found himself getting trampled by a girl with fiery red hair. As everyone tried to get a glimpse of the esteemed Academy, he was left on the ground.

As he fell, his cloak got tangled up in the girls' horns. She had strange pronged antlers that greatly resembled a stag beetle. "Hey, watch where you're going, Redhead!" he exclaimed. She stopped and helped Verse to his feet before responding.

"Sorry 'bout that. I didn't see ya there. I'm Cherie." She spoke softly, but hurriedly. She seemed just as uncomfortable as Verse. "Nice to meet you, kid." She tried desperately to untangle herself.

Verse was hesitant, but he finally struck up a conversation with her. "It's Verse. I'm guessing you aren't from around here, considering the horns. I have to say I haven't met many faunus around here. Where I come from they were all hunted for sport."

 **"What?"**

She was shocked at his revelation, but tried to proceed with the conversation. "I came from a small farm in Menagerie." What do you mean faunus were hunted down?"

"Well, the chief of my village was a racist pig who declared war on faunus. I had to watch some be executed for no reason other than existing. He had no right to treat them like that." Verse looked away for a moment. "Let's go check out that view everyone is talking about."

At this, Verse and Cherie found their way to a window, and were absolutely astonished at the view. The first thing they saw was the needle of the CCT tower, adorned with a massive clock that greeted all of the new students. As the airship got lower, they could see more and more of the school. The massive spires of the classrooms seemed to unfold before their eyes. The grandest spectacle of all was the enormous grassy courtyard and beautiful homes that lined the outskirts. They had finally arrived to their new home for the next four years.

As the airship came to a halt on the ground, the students poured out into the main amphitheatre. They were astounded when a video came on the monitors.

Before they could take it all in, the man in the projection started to speak. "Welcome, students, to New Beacon. I am Headmaster Pine. I am looking forward to passing on the ancient knowledge of the huntsmen to all of you. As you know, many lives were lost upon the Battle of Salem. But we, through strength of will and and soul, have triumphed over the forces that conspired against us. Grimm activity on Remnant is at an all-time low, but something has been awakening them again."

"You are here to learn how to defend human and faunus alike should the need ever arise again. From this day forward, you leave behind everything you once knew to become the Hunstmen and Huntresses you were all born to be. Initiation will be tomorrow morning. Until, then, please try to get some rest. Your new lives will begin tonight. Good luck to all of you."

With that, the video ended, and the students were left to find the dorms themselves.


	8. Night Troubles

"Nya, your semblance is on again. We can't go to sleep with a human flashlight!" Cherie was starting to get annoyed at her roommate's constant use of her semblance. "Sage, she's your sister. Can't you convince her to stop lighting up the entire dorm?"

Sage finally gave in and began to speak to her sister. "Nyanza, how many times do I need to tell you? You don't need your light to read in the dark. We're faunus. We have night vision. Use it, and quit keeping everyone awake with your 'glowiness'."

The glowing girl responded, with a dumbfound look on her face. "Oh, yeah. I always forget about the night vision thing, but I can still see the pages better when I use my semblance. So, no. I'm not gonna turn it off."

At this point, Razz, another girl in the room with them spoke up. "Guys, come on. Stop fighting. We didn't come to New Beacon just to argue with each other. We're a family; we're supposed to stick together. It's time you all started acting like the family we are." She paused for a moment. "Also, if you keep me up all night, I will not hesitate to jab you with my quills."

That was all it took to scare Nyanza into deactivating her semblance. With her internal light turned off, she finally let the others drift off to sleep. She, however, stayed awake, to the latest hours, reading the latest tales of a group of warriors from lands long past.

 _"Someday."_

"Someday we'll be just like those warriors. Fighting to help the innocent, becoming representatives for their people, finding love in the face of death. That must be the life. I can't believe we're on our way there. I wonder where the next turn will take us"

As the sun set on New Beacon, a new day was dawning elsewhere.

 **"Where's the relic? Did you not find it? Was our ransack of Vacuo meaningless!?"**

A tall man with his face hidden in shadows stood by, with a servant cowering at his feet. "I, and the rest of the Initiates, would not be very happy to know of your failure. And unfortunately for you, it is not up to me to decide your fate. It is up to them." As the man left, a door opened unto the messenger, releasing two Ursae upon him. The messenger was torn to pieces by the Ursae before finally being given the release of death when one clamped down on his disfigured, mangled head. "Good riddance. Let nobody refute the will of the Initiates."


	9. Good Morning

_"Come on! Kid, wake up! You're going to miss initiation!"_

Verse finally woke up and found himself being shook by a man in an orange tunic. The boy looked really familiar, but Verse couldn't pin it down. After a few seconds, it dawned on him. It was that weird perky kid from the airship. "Get off me! What are you doing in here?"

Orion stayed cool to answer. "I'm Orion, and apparently, I'm your roommate. All the other dorms were filled, so I was assigned to this one. The other guy already woke up and left for breakfast. Now, come on! You don't want to miss initiation, do ya?"

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you, Orion. The name's Verse. I guess you're right. Let's get going." Verse and Orion headed off to the main cafeteria, where breakfast was being served. Verse and Orion sat next to a few familiar faces. By chance alone, Lyla and Noir were sitting together with a few empty seats nearby. The boys took this opportunity to sit next to the people they had already met. As he sat, Verse began to speak up. "So, Lyla, how was your night?"

"Oh, it wasn't great. I didn't get much sleep. They left the lights on in the room next door. I could hear them arguing through the walls." Orion and Noir sat nearby eating in silence. The silence carried on for what felt like hours. It didn't seem like things could get any more awkward between the four, until Noir finally spoke up.

"Welp. It's nice to see you two finally woke up. I still can't believe I got stuck with the orange idiot as a roommate, but it can't be helped. Anyway, I've got some stuff to do before initiation. I'll see you there, I guess." Noir left to attend to something, leaving the rest to get to know each other.

As they started to get to know each other, their conversation was interrupted by a woman in a grey pantsuit. "Ah, you must be some of our first years. You had better get your weapons ready. Initiation will be in twenty minutes.I'm Professor Storm. If you need anything, feel free to call. But for now, you should prepare yourselves."

Lyla, Orion and Verse headed to the locker rooms to prepare. It was going to be a long day ahead of them.


	10. Crash Landing

"All first years, report to the Emerald Cliffside immediately." Everyone gathered by the sheer drop for the most important moment in the life of a Huntsman. It was finally Initiation Day!

Headmaster Pine was presiding over the event. "Now, students, I know you probably have hundreds of questions. Allow me to answer a few. As per the tradition of the first Beacon before the war, you will be launched into the heart of the Emerald Forest. Your job upon landing will be to find and return one of several relics I've hidden in the woods. Your teams will be decided by which relic you find, as well as with whom you share eye contact first. Ready your weapons. You will need to find your own way to land safely. Professors Storm, Oro, Mavi, and myself will be monitoring your progress. Good luck."

Immediately, all of the students were launched into the air. Some were gliding gracefully, while some were… not. Verse took the chance to pull the quill from behind his ear, writing ' **hangglider** ' in midair. As he wrote, a fantastic glider came into being from a few specks of light. "Hope you guys can keep up!"

"Is that a challenge, pretty boy?" A familiar voice rang out. As Verse looked back, he saw none other than Lyla holding out her staff. From the sides, two pairs of draconic gliding wings extended outward. Lyla began to glide through the air just as gracefully. They never locked eyes, but instead began to race into the forest. Eventually, Verse fell behind. As he landed, he started to walk back to catch up.

Something began to push through the undergrowth, so Verse readied his sword. To his surprise, it was none other than Orion, who had dug his axe into the ground to brake himself as he fell. The two locked eyes and became the first pair of partners in initiation.

Meanwhile, Nyanza and Sage were sent flying, but were able to lock arms and land in a pile of leaves together. They soon started to run headlong into the forest, ready to face anything that got in their way. At the same time, Razz was able to break off one of her quills and jab it into a tree to stop. Cherie didn't have much luck landing, but she was able to aim for the trees and slow her fall. As she slammed into the trees, she knocked Razz loose, sending her falling into Cherie.

Lyla, however didn't have such luck choosing a partner. She flew back toward the launch site to take a victory lap, but she ran out of air dust and started to plummet. She had the misfortune of falling into the exact wrong place and wrong time.

 **CRASH!!!!!**

She couldn't have picked a worse place to land then right on top of Noir, who was walking nearby. Even the teachers looking on winced in pain at her bad landing. There was certainly an energy in the air, and Professor Mavi was able to effectively put in into words.

 _"Oooh, that's gotta hurt!"_


	11. Encounter, Part 1

Not all was well within the Emerald Forest. While everyone has been paired off, the true trial was only about to begin for the new students. As everybody began to wander blindly around the woods, people started seeing why New Beacon chose this as its Initiation.

As time passed, the first pair finally made their way to the Central Temple. As Razz and Cherie made it to the temple, they noticed that none of the relics had been taken yet. They were taken aback by the first view of the relics Headmaster Pine had laid out. The center of the temple was a wide limestone courtyard, encircled by marble pillars, on which rested the relics. However, there was something off about the relics.

The relics on the marble were nothing more than humble carvings of gold and ebony, etched into the image of a chess set. "Razz, we should wait for the others. Considering there are two of each, I think they may play a part in the decision of teams. Let's make sure we grab the same one as the twins."

Razz responded softly. "How do you know the twins are together? For all we know they could've been separated in the launch."

"We are talking about the girls who would jump in front of the tractor just because the other got in the way, right? There's no way they got separated by the launch. We'll just wait for them."

As they continued, they took one of the pieces representing the white queen. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes behind them. After clearing the shrubbery, two figures appeared before the girls. They were men, one in green, and one in orange. Cherie, in an instant, recognized the one in green. "Oh! I know him! This is the klutz I told you about from the other day. I see you fixed the cloak."

"Well it was easy once I untangled it from your horns. What are you guys doing here?" Verse asked, not realizing that he was surrounded by the relics. "Well, it's good to run into you guys again."

Razz hastily spoke up. "Well we came for the relics, but they're just chess pieces. Now we're waiting for some other friends of our. Who are you guys?"

Orion walked over and quickly grabbed a relic resembling a white rook. In his haste, he knocked over the podium on which a black king was resting. The piece fell to the ground and shattered on impact. "Crap. I knew I should've sidestepped that. Anyway, I'm Orion, and this is my partner Verse."

Without notice, two more girls came from the eastern path. Both were thin and blond, and they looked eerily similar to one another. Once they came down the path, they caught eye of the others and started running. The twins ecstatically wrapped Razz and Cherie in a hug, nearly crushing them to death.

Cherie broke the initial awkwardness of the embrace. "So I see you two got paired together. We already have our relic; try to grab one that matches." Sage immediately claimed the matching white queen.

"God, Razz! Remind me not to hug you again. Your quills aren't exactly comforting to the touch!" Nyanza let go of the others and winced in pain.

 _"It was your fault for running right into them, Nya!"_

Their reunion was broken up when once again people came down the east passage. The other white rook seemed to levitate on its own. Verse looked around and took noticed. He eventually realized that a shadow was lifting it. Before he could respond, the shadow picked the piece and returned it to the man controlling it. He looked up to see who it was, when he was greeted with Lyla and the man she sat with at breakfast. As Lyla went forward, she and the man started to chat with Verse and Orion.

Even though they they had finally come together, the eight students were not alone in the Emerald Forest.

TO BE CONTINUED


	12. Encounter, Part 2

The budding students were greeted with a rustling in the bushes nearby. As they turned, they were greeted with an unmistakable vision.

Two pairs of eyes peered through the undergrowth. They glowed red with the fury of nature itself. The first pair was thin and slitted, while the second was round and fiery. As they began to grow brighter, the beasts unveiled themselves from behind the brush. The first was a giant abomination with sharp ivory tusks. Its entire body was coated in a thick coat of armor and its quick movements made it seem invincible. Its overall appearance mimicked that of a wild boar.

The second beast soon revealed itself. It was a giant snake capable of crushing all eight students to death with length left over. Its body was a perfect dichotomy of white and black, with each side ending in a head of the opposite color. Its fangs were the size of railroad spikes, and could drive a man through with minimal effort from the beast.

The snake attacked quickly, shattering the platform the students were standing on. The ground itself was so broken from the strike that it formed a divide. Verse, Lyla, Noir and Orion found themselves stranded with the horned Grimm. Meanwhile, the snake chased Razz, Sage, Cherie and Nyanza down a path leading to the east.

Verse drew out the quill pen he had behind his ear. He took a breath and began to write in midair, making sure to spell out ' **bludgeon** '. As he wrote, a large rounded mace appeared in his hand, created of green light. He rushed in, showing no mercy to the beast as the others held back. The mace was not breaking through its armor and disappeared after Verse swung five times. Verse fell back, exhausted. As he paused for air, the boar began to spin toward him. It slammed into him, its tusk digging itself into Verse's shoulder. When it finally pulled out, Verse's cloak was stained red.

After seeing this, the others jumped in to protect Verse. The last impact had depleted his aura. The beast immediately singled out Lyla, ruthlessly attacking her, causing her aura to break as well. Orion soon came in from above, viciously attacking with his axe. Nothing he could do was damaging it, so Orion made a split-second decision. He split his weapon along the shaft and moved the blades to create a set of dual hatchets. Using the uncovered semiautomatic pistols embedded within the shaft, he opened fire on the beast, still to no avail. He went in for a close-range strike but missed. He found himself slammed against a tree for his efforts.

Noir was the only one left standing. He stayed calm as it began screeching in his ear. He was in a state of hyperfocus, and it soon became evident as to why. A shadow in Noir's likeness came forth and restrained the monstrosity. He took off his mask, revealing the hazel eyes beneath them. Immediately, he unfurled his mask into a whip and tied the end to the pistol at his waist. He began to use the combination of the whip and pistol to wreak havoc on the creature. However, he could only keep control of his shadow for so long before he, too became exhausted. As the beast began to attack, Noir found himself in a heap with the others.

As they got to their feet, Verse spoke up. "I think I know how to survive this. You, with the whip. When you hit that thing on its underside, it looked like it really hurt. I need you guys to help me restrain it. Orion, you clearly have the most raw power of any of us. You need to deal the killing blow. Lyla, can you still do that flying thing?"

Lyla was able to respond. "Yeah. The flight has nothing to do with my aura. Stellar Wind uses wind dust."

Verse had a plan figured out by this point. "Great. I'll need you to fly around and distract it while Noir and I grab it. Are you guys up to that?"

Unanimously, everyone gave Verse their own seal of approval. As they sprung into action, Lyla took flight. "Hey, ugly! I'm over here!" The boar seemed to understand her, and it tried to jump after her. As it tried to jump, it left itself open for attack. Verse and Noir rushed in immediately to flip it over onto its backside. Orion rearranged his weapon into a large glaive that resembled a dual-bladed scythe. As the Grimm was left defenseless, Orion hurled the weapon, sending it slicing through its stomach. The monster, finally vanquished, disappeared into vapor.

After the fray, the four young huntsmen were out of breath, but Verse managed to speak up.

 _"Is everyone okay?"_

TO BE CONTINUED


	13. Encounter, Part 3

As the boar fought against those who stayed with the relics, the snake began to chase Razz, Nyanza, Sage and Cherie down a path to the east of the relics.

A few acres from the temple, the girls came to a clearing in the woods. With trees on all sides, they had nowhere left to run. The serpent that had cased them down had them cornered. There was nowhere left for them to run, so they knew it was time to fight.

Cherie loaded a clip of lightning dust into her glove, ready to decimate. Razz, fighting without a weapon, simply broke off a quill from her back to use as combat knives. The twins readied their swords in anticipation for the ensuing battle. While Sage kept hers as a sword, Nyanza retracted her blade, wielding it as a simple pistol.

Razz went in first, holding two of her quills in a reverse grip. She was able to slice at the inside body of the serpent. In its rage, it used one of its heads to bash Razz into a tree nearby. Cherie immediately ran in after her, kneeling by her side to make sure she wasn't hurt. After a moment, Razz and Cherie were able to stand up again.

Meanwhile, Nyanza and Sage were able to keep the snake at bay by using their varied styles. Sage retracted her sword into a close-ranged dagger. While she used her skills at close-quarters combat, Nyanza stood back, laying down covering fire. Shortly after, Razz and Cherie rejoined the fray. The four girls were able to hold their own against the Grimm, but they didn't have the power to land a killing blow.

Cherie, in a moment of clarity, finally realized how they could kill the reptilian abomination. "Nya, Sage! There's only one thing I can think of to kill this thing!" Cherie gave the twins a gentle nod. Without hesitation, they took notice and exchanged a glance of determination.

Immediately, they both extended their weapons back into the serrated blades that were signature to them. With Nyanza on the left and Sage on the right, they locked their blades together. The serration on either side of the blades allowed the blades to come together as a massive zweihander. The new blade was so massive it took both of the girls to lift it. Where the serration came together, the air and earth dust lining the blades merged to form raw energy dust.

With one mighty slash, the girls' blade produced a wave of energy that flowed through the snake, bisecting its body. As the two heads fell to the ground limp, the snake begun to vanish into vapor. As it disappeared, Cherie took a look around her, and noticed that in all the action, Sage had been cut. She took Sage aside and tore a piece of her shirt to bandage her arm.

Over the rest of the day, the students managed to make it back to the cliffside, where the teachers were waiting patiently. Once they all returned, Headmaster Pine began to speak. "You all did exceptionally. I know you've had a long day, so I'm going to let you all get some well-earned sleep. Tomorrow, I will announce the teams and their leaders. Your full curriculum here at Beacon will begin immediately after."

After all that, the students retired to their dorms, eager to get a good night's rest.


	14. Bleakest Night

"Baki, there's still no sign of the Relic of Destruction. I think one of our subordinates may have stolen it during the chaos. If you wish, Anai and I will go to look for it."

The man in black responded heavily to his new messenger. "No. Anai needs to visit our friends in Mistral. Creation will suit her well. You need to find Destruction yourself. The Jericho Initiates will not tolerate this act of treason. Find the traitor, and execute him. Make an example of him, so that nobody dares defy us again. If you feel the need, Qara, use your Semblance. Leave no trace of him behind.

"Understood, sir. However, I prefer to save my semblance for only the most dire of circumstances. Since it leaves me comatose for a month, I'll let my blade do the speaking." Qara turned to the door before asking one final question. "By the way, how's the search for a fourth Initiate coming?"

"I have not found someone who meets our high standards yet. We all know that I am cunning while you are destructive. Anai is a valuable asset to us because of her sadistic nature. What I need to find is someone so crazy that they show no remorse for the blood on their hands. But I'll keep searching. You are dismissed."

As the messenger went away to his encampment, he gazed lovingly upon an item stowed in his tent. "The fool has no idea. I'll let him think he has the power of the Initiates. As for now, who can I bring in as a scapegoat?"

At that moment, a younger initiate walked in. "Qara, can you tell the Grand Initiate that we need more dust to forge weapons?" Qara, in an instant, pounced on the man, binding him in rope. He took the man to the center of the base, where he made an announcement.

"Attention, Initiates! I know you have probably heard rumors that there is a traitor among our ranks. I found this man trying to hide our prize. For his treason of the Initiates, I, under the authority of Grand Initiate Dangote, sentence him to death by immolation!" The innocent man was tied to a post and burned before the adoration of his fellow men. Qara watched with glee as the lights slowly faded from his eyes. As his execution became nearer to completion, the stench of burning flesh filled the air.

The man finally died after two hours of pain and fire, and Qara spoke up once again. "This man was found with stolen goods of the Initiates. Grand Initiate Dangote has requested that I keep it in my tent for the time being. Let this be a lesson to all of you. The Initiates will not tolerate any form of failure or insubordination! Rest lightly, and watch your backs. One step out of line will lead to the same fate as the fallen brother before you." With that, Qara returned to his tent for the night.

 **"The power of Jericho will be mine and mine alone!"**


	15. Warriors

"Attention New Beacon: all students and staff please report to the main auditorium for the Team Creation Ceremony."

The auditorium was filled to the brim with students and teachers, eager to meet their new classmates. Headmaster Pine was standing up at the front of the stage with a microphone and a holographic projection screen. Never before had so many people been in that room together. Once everyone was settled into their seats, Headmaster Pine begun the ceremony.

"Welcome, one and all, to this year's Team Naming Ceremony. Every one of you has been through this experience, so now it's time we pass it forward to a new generation of Hunters and Huntresses. Those of you in your first year may be feeling overwhelmed. I'd like to take the time to remind you that everyone in this room is here to support you. They will be your friends across the entire curriculum, and your fellow classmates will be your new family here. The bonds formed on a team will last a lifetime. But, you're not here to get a speech from me. You're here to see who you'll be with for your time here."

"So, with no further ado, let's get started. When I call your name, please step up on the stage. In no particular order, the members of our first team are as follows. Apel Yost, India Sidana, Celeste Martin, and Diamond Grapp." As he called their name, four girls came up to the stage. Pine continued. "You all have chosen the black knight piece, representing a sense of honor, combined with mischief. For her efforts in defeating a Gryphon and defending her partner, your leader will be Celeste Martin. From this day forward, you all will be known as Team CADI."

As they left, Headmaster Pine Kept speaking. "The next team up will consist of Razz Starr, Sage Hart, Cherie Marcus, and Nyanza Hart. You four chose the White Queen. She leads with beauty and grace, but knows when to lay down the law. The white queen acts as a mother to her people, and will do anything to protect them. For her undying loyalty to her fellow students, for risking her own health to aid others even when at the mercy of a King Taijitu, I am proud to appoint Cherie Marcus as the leader of Team CRNS. This is in itself a piece of Beacon history. Miss Marcus, you are the first female faunus chosen as a team leader in any of the four kingdoms. Congratulations." Cherie was elated with the news and proud to be a part of history. She wasn't about to make light on her position.

"Now, we have one final team to announce today. Would the following students make their way to the stage: Orion Brean, Noir, Verse Warden, and Lyla Marko. You have all chosen to be represented by the white rook. While primarily defensive, it possesses a great hidden power. Its walls serve and protect the people, keeping them safe by any means necessary. I have chosen the leader based on their strategic capability, heroic willpower, and sheer determination. His decisiveness and self-sacrifice against an Alpha Boarbatusk are among the several reasons he deserves to lead. Mr. Verse Warden, you will do well to lead them. They could use your great tactical mind in combat. I'd like to present team VOLN."

As the audiences broke into uproarious applause, the twelve students stepped onto the stage for a final time. Their new lives with their new families had officially begun. As they began to head to the dorms, Verse felt a hand upon his arm. He turned around in shock to come face-to-face with Dr. Oro.

"Mr. Warden, congratulations on being named team leader. Unfortunately, I can't let you fight for a while. I saw that hit you took back when your aura was broken. If you'll come with me, I'll take you to the infirmary to treat your wound." Oro seemed to genuinely care about his well-being, so Verse came with him.

"Oh, and don't worry. Whatever you're trying to hide under your cloak, your secret is safe with the teachers. _We won't tell a soul._ "


	16. Memories Never Change

Two weeks after the ceremony, the students were settling in well. Verse was finally back in action, even though his arm was still in bandages. It was time for VOLN and CRNS to go to Professor Storm's combat class, but this time they were stopped by something they saw in the hall.

Behind a glass case was a memorial, showing forgotten items from the War of Remnant. The students stopped to gaze upon the items in the case. The first thing they saw was a shattered cybernetic arm. They began to read the inscription on each item.

 **Yang Xiao Long. She fought valiantly in the war, with much personal sacrifice. Her arm was lost in the fall of the first Beacon, but she never let that stop her. It was thanks to her and her team that Salem fell. She is gone, but she will never be forgotten. Her sacrifice gives us all a reminder of why we fight.**

They then began to see more antiques from the era of Salem. They gazed upon a sword, broken in half, embedded within a gilded shield.

 **Crocea Mors. This sword and shield belonged to general Jaune Arc, a warrior in his own right. While not strong in arms, he was strong in heart. He lead the army against the darkness, sacrificing his own life for another. His dying words will forever ring in our hearts. "I hope I made my family proud. I will be joining my true love in the afterlife."**

Next in the display was a large hammer and a pair of broken guns. They were placed together, resting on each other.

 **Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. Never in the history of Remnant has there been a love truer than these two. Orphaned at a young age, they grew up with each other. They spent every waking moment together, growing first as friends, then as lovers. They died in each other's arms, and are still together in death.**

Directly above those were a small black bow and ribbon. They seemed worn and dirty, but were well-preserved.

 **Blake Belladonna. A woman perpetually on the run from her past, she was finally able to conquer them. During the War of Remnant, she launched a one-woman attack on the terrorist White Fang. Fighting for the rights of Faunus everywhere, she laid down her life as a martyr. Upon her sacrifice, many were inspired to take their destiny upon themselves. She will be remembered as a hero for ages to come.**

Shortly after, they noticed several more relics from the war, including a vial of dust, a tapestry of the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, several assorted weapons, a camera, and a large wooden staff. Among all of the memories, one stood out the most. In the center of the memorial hung a hooded red cape, tattered and torn, nearly destroyed by the battle.

 **Ruby Rose, the Silver Warrior. She was the final nail in Salem's coffin. She possessed a great mystic power inherited from her mother. In her dying moments, she was able to destroy the black queen once and for all. But the victory came at a great price. Her power stripped away what remained of her life force. She sacrificed herself for all of Remnant. The strongest warrior meets the most dignified death. May her soul forever be at peace.**

Reading the final plaque nearly brought the students to tears. In their despair, a familiar face walked up behind them. As they turned, Professor Mavi began to speak with them.

"I see you found the memorial. You guys are the first students to ever stop and pay them any mind. Those who died in the battle knew they wouldn't make it out alive. They all sacrificed themselves so Remnant could finally see peace. They were great people. In fact, I see a lot of them in all of you. That is your responsibility: to live up to their legacy. You are Huntsmen and Huntresses for a reason. It is through them that you become who you are. Now, with that in mind, your responsibility is to follow their example. Help those who cannot help themselves, even if it means giving yourselves up. Now, you had better head off to class. I'll let Storm know why you're late."

 _"The path of a Huntsman won't be easy, but it is the path you've all chosen."_


	17. Nothing Comes Easy

**"Come on, sis! Is that really the best you have?"**

Nyanza parried yet another blow from Sage's sword. They found themselves in the middle of a large crowd of students. As the students continued to watch, Professor Storm looked on, judging harshly. Team VOLN and the remainder of Team CRNS were in the audience, all wondering who would win in a fight.

As Sage went in for another blow, the audience cheered. "That's just what I've been waiting for." Her aura began to glow green as she sent a wave of vibrational energy hurdling at her sister. Nyanza managed to get out of the way, but Sage wasn't done yet. "Let's see you dodge this!" As Sage touched her hand to the ground, the arena began to shake.

Nyanza was knocked backward from the impact, but was no worse for wear. She retracted Nomos into its second form as a pistol and opened fire on her sister. The bolts of air she sent through the barrel was enough to send Sage flying. "I'm not done yet!" As Sage folded the blade of Terram into a knife, she lunged at Nyanza from afar. Once she got in close enough, Nyanza had her opening. " _Buh-bye!_ " As Nyanza opened her eyes, she was surrounded by a bright flash of light.

Sage was blinded from the flash and gave Nyanza the last opening she needed. She prepared her sword and moved in to strike before being halted by a whistle.

"Well done, ladies. Nyanza, you did exceptionally well to outsmart your opponent. And Sage, always remember that battle isn't simply about overpowering your opponent. It's about finding a situational advantage that takes away any power your opponent may have." Professor Storm seemed genuinely impressed with what she saw before her. "Both of you are very creative with your respective semblances. Nyanza, illuminating brightly to blind an opponent is a clever trick. Sage, using sound manipulation to trigger an earthquake is simply ingenious! Now obviously, being twins, the two of you have a lot of experience together. Do you have any combined attack formations?"

Sage was the first to speak. "Actually we do have so-"

"I don't want to know what they are. That's a secret for you to keep. But, if it's anything like what you pulled upon Initiation, you two are going to go far in this academy. Let's move along, then. The next matchup I have is Licorice Hullu versus Orion Brean."

"Before you begin, I'd like to take the chance to remind you all that the path of a Huntsman will not be easy. If you get lazy, people will die, whether it may be yourself or worse, those you've sworn to protect. Do not grow complacent. You have devoted yourselves to this, so I do not intend on making it easy for you. You will struggle, and you will grow through it. Dare to be better than you think you are."

As she finished, Orion stepped up to the center of the arena and met eyes with his opponent.


	18. Crazy

Orion stepped into the middle of the arena and locked eyes with his opponent. She had dark skin and black hair that flowed down to her shoulders. She was sporting a wide, but crooked grin on her face. Orion took particular note of the patch over her left eye.

"Whoa, did something happen to you? Is your eye okay?"

The girl responded quickly. "Oh, yeah. It's fine. I just wear it cuz it makes me look cool! I'm Licorice, but my friends just call me Li." As she answered, Professor Storm blew her whistle, signaling the beginning of the match.

Licorice lunged quickly at her opponent, using her whip to send Orion flying back. She began to run around the battlefield, moving so erratically that Orion couldn't track her motions. Eventually, she showed up behind him and started talking in his ear.

"Hi! How are ya? I see you're wearing orange. I like orange, and black too. Who did you say you were again?"

As she zipped around chatting, Orion seized the opportunity to grab her by the arm. "I'm Orion, and you should really focus on the match, or else your opponent might do this." At that, Orion threw her into the ground and broke his weapon into Hatchet Mode. He began opening fire on the girl, draining a large portion of her aura.

As soon as she had the chance, the girl stood up and wrapped her whip around Orion's legs. Her smile became a bit more crooked. "Sorry, friend, but the dancing wolf people want me to kill you now." As she started laughing, she prepared her whip to strike him down.

The visage of the whip brought back some painful memories for Orion, so he was barely able to get out of the way. As he got back up, he lost any humor he had before. He began to open fire once again, this time depleting her aura entirely. As the girl fell to her knees, Professor Storm ended the match.

"The victor is Orion Brean. Ms. Hullu, you need to focus more in battle. Distraction is a one-way ticket to defeat."

Licorice began to get to her feet, but something was off. She was smiling even more, but it seemed broken. Out of nowhere, she jumped up, despite her aura being completely broken, and screamed.

 **"I'M THE ONLY QUEEN WHO WILL EVER RULE REMNANT! THE SINGING CACTUS TOLD ME SO! HE TOLD ME I'LL BE THE QUEEN OF THE BIGGEST CASTLE ON REMNANT!"**

Immediately, she smashed through a window and fell two stories to the ground below. As the class ran off to see if she was okay, they saw her stand up and run screeching into the forest. All this sudden weirdness was enough to make even Noir lose his composure. "That… That was weird, right? Like, even for this school, she was weird. At least she's okay, but I don't think we'll be hearing from that chick again."

Licorice ran alone through the forest for several hours. As she was getting tired, she ran into a tall man dressed in black. He looked down at her and offered his hand.

"It's nice to meet you. You know, you're exactly the kind of person we've been looking for. _How'd you like to join the winning side?"_


	19. Race Against the Clock

As the morning sun shone brightly into the dorm, Verse slowly stirred awake. He took a moment to look around at his teammates. As he did, he happened to gaze upon his alarm clock. He was horrified when he saw the time.

"7:20? Oh, crap! **EVERYONE WAKE UP! WE ONLY HAVE TEN MINUTES!"**

The other members of Team VOLN jolted into life, suddenly. "Come on, guys! Oro's class starts in ten! Everyone get dressed and run!" As soon as they realized what was going on, all four students found themselves in a mad scramble to find their clothes and gear.

"Yo, Noir, have you seen my tunic?" Orion seemed more frantic than even his teammates. He was digging through every pile and looking in every nook and cranny.

"Yeah. It's on the bed, where you left it." Orion was absolutely elated. Hurriedly, he rushed over to the bed and put on the lost garment.

"Aww yeah. Fits like a glove! How much time we got, Verse?"

"Oh, uhh…" He took a moment to look at his scroll. "Five minutes! **Move, move move!!"**

The team took off in a dead sprint down the hall. Verse really should've been watching where he was going. Once again, he found himself face-first on the ground. He looked up and saw a familiar set of pronged horns. As he gazed further downward, he saw her face. She looked at him with disdain and spoke up.

" _Damn it, Verse!_ Watch where you're going!" Cherie was none too hesitant to chastise him. This was the third time they'd met this way. The rest of Team CRNS stood around, and Lyla couldn't help but facepalm at the failure. Sage eventually looked down at her watch.

"We can argue later! We have exactly **ONE MINUTE** to get to class!"

The eight students once again took off in a mad dash. As they rounded a corner, the door was directly on their right. They were able to leap into the classroom just as the bell rang.

Dr. Oro was standing over them, scorning. "You know, you guys are supposed to be in your seats when that rings. I'll let you off the hook this time, but next time, set your alarms."


	20. Truth

As teams VOLN and CRNS finally took their seats, Doctor Oro began his lecture for the day.

"Good morning, students. I'm glad you were all able to make it to my class on time." As he said this, he turned and glared at the students in the back. "Now, before we begin today's history lesson, I'd like to ask you all a question. Please try your best to answer honestly. This is a pertinent subject, so I will understand if you cannot answer. Who in here has dealt with discrimination on a personal level?"

At this, about half of the class raised their hands, including all of Team CRNS, a curly-haired girl, Verse, and Noir. Another girl in the class immediately called out.

"India, put your hand down! You've never dealt with that, so I recommend you stop crying for attention."

The girl with the curls retaliated hotly. "Diamond, I'm going to give you one chance to sit down and shut up. We've been here for what, two months, and all you've done is walk all over me. You don't know my life, and you don't know me." At that, India popped out her claws and lunged at her teammate, before being cut off by Dr. Oro. While the drama broke out, Razz stood up and made her way to the door.

" _Ahem_. Ms. Grapp, Ms. Sidana, you need to take your seats and end this nonsense immediately. May I remind you that you are representing not only yourselves, but Team CADI and this entire school. Diamond, I expect to see you after the bell."

As she left, Oro caught eye of Razz. "Ah, trying to sneak off, are we Ms. Starr? I saw you leave as soon as the fighting broke out, and considering you raised your hand to my last question, I think I know what's going on? Do you mind sharing your story before you leave?"

Razz was hesitant, but eventually agreed. "What's there to tell? I was basically born in a gutter and left to die. The one person who found me was a racist bastard named Ezekiel. He took me in, under the guise of being my father. In really, he was only using me as an indentured servant working in his all-faunus cafe, but he forbade me from going in the back room. Once I was only 13, he grabbed me and forced me back there. He sold me to the highest bidder as a slave, and the guy who bought me did… horrible things to me. It's why I can't ever be close to people again."

Oro could see the tears rolling down her eyes, so he tried to comfort her. "I'm so sorry, Razz. If you ever need someone to talk to about this, my door will always be open. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." At that, Razz ran off to her dorm to be alone.

"Obviously, this tension is a very touchy subject. May I ask who else has been treated in this way?" Once again, team CRNS, India, and Verse raised their hands. Noir kept his down, but Diamond felt the need to complain again.

"Yo, green boy! Put your hand down. There's no way in hell that YOU'VE ever been treated like that!"

For the first time in years, Oro was completely enraged. "Mrs. Grapp, you and your comments are no longer welcome in my classroom. We will discuss this further later, and it will be my recommendation that you be expelled. We will meet with Headmaster Pine after class. Do I make myself clear?"

"Clear as glass, and as transparent as that kid's desperate cry for attention. Good luck with your little delusion, green!" Before she could leave, Verse finally spoke out for himself.

 **"If you seriously think I haven't seen the blatant racism against our kind, you're the most stupid person I've ever met!"**

TO BE CONTINUED


	21. Mandala (Volume 1 finale)

**"If you seriously think I haven't seen the blatant racism against our kind, you're the most stupid person I've ever met!"**

Everyone in the room seemed to pause for a moment as Verse realized what he said. He began to hear a familiar voice in his head.

" _Great job, dingus! You just blew it! I give you two days until Cobalt comes knocking at your door."_

He recognized the voice instantly. Once again, his sister had seemingly come back from the dead to give him guidance. It took him a minute to shrug it off before he was finally able to break the stunned silence.

"Well, I guess now you all know. I didn't want it to happen this way."

Lyla was the first to speak. "Verse, how did you not tell us? We're your team! You think you'd trust us after two months."

Verse, with tears in his eyes, began to explain himself. "Lyla, it's not that I don't trust my team. I have trouble trusting anyone. The man I'm trying to hide from is still out there somewhere, and he'd have my head if he found I was still alive. So, I hid. This is what I truly am."

At this, he shed his cloak to reveal his torso. His back was lined with white feathers, identical to the quill pen behind his ear. As the other students looked on, Verse continued to tell his tale.

 _"I guess I should start from the beginning."_

"I was born in a small town to the east called Mandala Village. My mother Olive was a dog faunus, and while I never knew my father, she has told me he was a deer. That made me and my younger sister a complete roll of the dice. I got these feathers, and Sky got the cutest pair of cat ears you'd ever see. We were happy, but not all was well.

The chief of our village was a racist, bigoted man named Cobalt Drew. Our mother was the smart one. She hid our heritage from him should the worst happen. She and my sister began to wear ribbons and lace to hide their ears, and she made me this cloak to hide my wings. Over the years, I've tailored and modified it so that it would continue to fit me. We thought we were safe.

A few years passed without harm, but then my mother was proven right. As Sky and I were walking home, Cobalt made right on his promises to rid Mandala of faunus. The first victim was lynched in the city square, in front of my eyes. From there, the hunt began. An award went out to all the humans of the village. 300 lien for every faunus killed. I grabbed Sky and rushed home, only to see our mother shot through the head.

I did the only thing I could: I ran. I took her by the hand and we went as fast as we could, but it was no use. A mile down the road, Sky tripped on a loose stone in the path.Knowing she wouldn't make it, she threw her necklace to me as a keepsake. She only had enough time to reach out and cry for help. Before I could react, she was beheaded.

All I could do was run, so I kept going until nightfall. I was exhausted, but I knew that if I stopped moving I wouldn't make it. After three days, I made it to the next village where I couldn't walk any more. I collapsed at the city gate, but was fortunate enough to be spotted by the city's militia.

I was taken to a hospital where I was treated and fed. I got a chance to tell my story, but there wasn't anywhere to stay in the village. They had me sent to the capital city of Vale, where I've been in and out of various orphanages. Eventually, I went to Signal and ended up coming here.

The strange part is, I know Sky is gone, but I can still hear her voice sometimes when I really need guidance. She acts as my conscience when I'm ready to throw everything away. It's probably just me going insane, but at the same time it keeps me anchored to reality.

Now you all know who- what I really am. You probably hate me. I'll just leave."

As Verse began to exit, Dr. Oro stepped in the way and tried to console Verse.

"I'm really sorry they had to find out this way. I know you wanted to keep your lineage a secret as long as possible. I knew you were a faunus, but I had no idea you were the Mandala Discrepancy. Again, my door is always open if you want to talk. Class is dismissed. After all this, I think you deserve the chance to rest. I'll make sure your teachers excuse you from any other classes you may have. Use the day to rest and recover.

As everyone returned to their dorms, Teams VOLN and CRNS all gathered in the hall, and Noir, for the first time, actually initiated the conversation.

"Hey, Verse, I know that I'm not the nicest guy on this team, but what that chick said to you wasn't cool. And, don't worry. We all have our demons. I think we all just need some rest for now. Just, let's all meet up in the library tomorrow. We need to get to know each other better."

The students went their separate ways and began to drift off for the night, As the moon set on Remnant, serenity fell on New Beacon Academy as the students awaited a new day.

EPILOGUE

 **"Open your eyes, young one."**

As Verse stirred, he saw a man standing before him, and he begun to speak.

 **"Your journey has only begun. I can see your pain. Do not worry. By now you've realized that she has helped you in your moments of greatest need. There are bigger things conspiring on Remnant. Get your rest. You will need it when the new day dawns."**

"Wait. Who are you?"

The man began to fade away.

 **"That matters not. Just remember my name. I am Centani."**

As he faded away, Verse opened his eyes to see his teammates soundly sleeping at his side. He began to settle down, sleeping once again.


	22. Destinations, Part 1

_"Noir. Wake up. We need to talk."_

As Noir opened his eyes, he was greeted by the visage of his teammates leaning over him. "What's going on? Why are you all watching me sleep? And just when I think you can't get any worse. What do you want?"

"I couldn't really sleep last night. After what happened yesterday I've had some time to think. We're a team. Odds are, there will come a time when we need to depend on each other for our lives. We need to stick up for one another, and we can't do that by keeping secrets. I've called Team CRNS. It's time we all got to know each other.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. As it opened Cherie, Razz, and the twins came inside. Cherie was carrying a huge stack of books.

Lyla was puzzled and spoke up. "What's with the books? This isn't a study session."

"What did I tell you? You're making the rest of us look like idiots! Set them down somewhere." As Razz said this, Cherie lost her balance and fell over, burying herself and Verse in a pile of books. "Damn it, Cherie! Not again! What's with you two and falling over each other?"

"What did you REALLY call us here for, V?" Sage, as usual, was growing impatient.

"First off, don't call me that, and second, I needed you guys in here because I think it's high time we all get to know each other a little bit better. After yesterday, I realized that we all need to be there for each other if we're going to survive here. So I don't want any more secrets between us. You all basically know my life story, so who wants to go first?"

Orion was hesitant, but was the first to speak up. "For me, it was all about trying to live up to the man who raised me, and trying desperately to be better than my father. I ran away from home early on after my dad Tyler beat me and left me out to die. I don't remember everything he said to me that night because of his drunken slur. All I can remember is him saying something about stealing his wife from him when I was born. After this, I ran away to the village of Enzaia, but considering my exhaustion and despair, I was basically a smorgasbord for the Grimm there. I would be dead if it weren't for him.

I was rescued by a guy named Mars Singh. He was a huntsman sent to help that village, but he was too late. I was the only one there. Seeing me, he took me in and raised me as his own. He taught me how to paint and defend myself. Then, he took me on a mission with him.

 **He… didn't make it.**

So I picked up his weapon and studied in its use. I began seeing it use fire dust and tried to learn its uses. So now, I can use it to any means. I never lost sight of a future I had envisioned for myself, and my semblance has come to manifest itself through that. I can see a few seconds into the future to predict what may happen next. And that's about all I can share."

After a few moments of silence, Noir finally spoke. "I… can actually relate. Look, I know I'm usually a bit distant. I make it a point to never say anything unless it's important. I feel like you need to hear this, Orion. I know what it's like to wander alone without anyone. It does help to have people in your life. I understand your pain; I've been there myself. If you ever need someone to rely on, you can turn to me.

Since I've come here, you especially have been like a brother to me. I grew up alone in Atlas. Everyone here calls me Noir, but that's not my actual name. I wish I could tell you what it actually is, but I don't know. All I do know is that I was sick for a good part of my life, and it caused amnesia and rage issues.

I don't know much. I remember waking up in a hospital one day and they asked me my name. I didn't know, so I just called myself Jack. Jack Mitchell. I had no life. I was just forced to survive. Eventually, I got work as a waiter in some Atlesian restaurant, working for pocket money and any food I could get.

Things stayed that way for a few years, and then one day all the noise was too much for me. I lost control of myself and killed a guy. Since then, I've been on the run. I decided to never take another innocent life, and instead chose to defend those who couldn't defend themselves. I crafted my weapons out of whatever I could find lying around, including the machinery in the whip. I made it so that it could fold into this mask I wear.

From there, I hopped an airship to Vale and changed my name to Noir. Jack Mitchell is dead. He was a man who cared only for himself. I made a promise to never be him again."

Lyla stood back, astonished. "I- I don't know what to say. I- there is no way I can understand what you've all been through. But I think I may have a way to help you come to terms with it. I grew up in a normal family on Chalice Island. My life wasn't filled with trauma like yours', but I'm not innocent.

One day, I was hiking in the mountains with my family and my brother fell. He's in a wheelchair now because we couldn't catch him. I live with that every day, but I fight to make up for that. So, I can't relate to the pain you've all felt, but I might be able to help you come to terms with it.

My semblance allows me to tap into others' emotions and memories, if you'd allow me. I may not know your pain, but I'm more than willing to lend a shoulder to cry on. Guys, I DO care genuinely about all of you. You've become a second family to me, and I'll never let that go.

If _I have to spend four years away from my family, I'm glad it's with you guys."_


	23. Destinations, Part 2

As Team VOLN had their heart-to-heart, Razz finally spoke. "Well, I guess it's high time we tell OUR story. Who wants to do the honors?"

Without hesitation, Cherie began. "Well, I know that our stories were different before we all met at the orphanage. We grew up there together. It was the one place I could call home. Y'see, I was born in the outskirts of Xione in Mistral, but my village fell quickly. I stowed away on a ship to Menagerie, where I heard faunus could be free.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the journey would last months by ship. I had nothing, I had to scavenge for food and essentially beg for other people's garbage. By the time we got to Menagerie, I was basically a walking corpse. I collapsed, and when I woke up, I saw the twins and their dad. Apparently, he had found me comatose and took me into his orphanage. Since then, I grew up with these guys. As I grew older, we started caring for some of the younger ones. I've even taken up crafting jewelry so the little girls like Bun can have something sparkly to hold dear."

Nyanza chimed in. "Oh yeah, Hibiscus! She still sends us letters! That's the one thing I'm looking forward to in between semesters. I can't wait to see how much our little Bun has grown up! But, anyway, back to the matter at hand. We all met through our dad, Dan. He is the most genuine person you'll ever meet. He opened up our farm to wandering Faunus, and has fostered countless like us. We're lucky to have a dad like him."

"Since Razz and Cherie arrived, we've done everything together." Sage continued where her sister left off. "Dad even passed his knowledge down to us. He was a huntsman from Haven, and taught us everything we know. He even unlocked our auras. The four of us have been together since the beginning, so we knew we had to stay together here. On day one, we had a plan to stay together, and I guess it worked. That's really all about us that you didn't already know."

With that, a few familiar faces came into the room.

"Oh, good. We finally found you. It's Verse, right? I felt like we needed to formally meet after what happened in class yesterday."


	24. Self Defense

"I felt like we needed to finally meet after what happened in class yesterday." As the girl poked her head through the door, Verse saw a familiar face. She had short curly hair and dark skin. Her face was painted as a tiger's, and she spoke softly. "I just wanted to apologize for what we put you through in class."

As she entered, so did another girl, dressed in white. She was more demanding as she spoke. "India, what did you drag me into this time? I already told you I'm not apologizing for calling him out. Faunus like you and him deserve everything that's coming to them. You're wasting your time, Green Boy."

Noir refused to stand by and watch this unfold for a second time, so he finally spoke up. "You know what? I don't care who you are. You could've found a better time to find us rather than barging in our dorm room. India, was it? Since you at the very least seem somewhat genuine, you can stay and and say what you need to Verse. But, I will not tolerate this other broad coming in here just to insult our team. Leave."

Diamond's face turned red with rage at this. She said nothing, but grabbed a chair and sat. She was there to stay. After a few minutes, India finally gave up on trying to remove her and spoke. "Some people on our team made the mistake of humiliating you the other day. I didn't know what you'd been through, and even though that person clearly shows no remorse…" India turned and stared down at her teammate before continuing. "I wanted to try to make things right. The name's India. I find it helps to have brotherhood when our status is on the line."

She continued, barely withholding her ire. "But some people still can't understand that Faunus have just as many rights as they do. We've been full citizens since the disbanding of the White Fang. So I wanted to apologize for Diamond's behavior. She's always been mean, but she's never been a full-blown bitch like she was back there." Once again, she turned toward her teammate with a glare that would frighten even the Grimm.

Diamond stood up, furious. "You know what, India? I've held my tongue out of respect for you, but you're not worth the effort. You, and your kind will NEVER be worthy of my time! That goes for all of you!" As she said this, Verse and team CRNS all stood up, but India silenced them for herself.

"No. I've had to deal with this crap all year. This is my fight." India stood up and drew two small hatchets from her satchel. "We've already talked about this with Celeste and Apel. They told me to take matters into my own hands if you step out of line again,"

"You made a grave mistake messing with me, Diamond."


	25. Consequences

India glared and pulled a pair of hatchets from her satchel. "You made a grave mistake messing with me, Diamond." Without hesitation, she rubbed the blades together, sending a wave of electric energy hurtling directly toward the girl in white. Diamond was able to escape the beam by jumping over it, allowing it to shake the very walls of the dorm room.

"Don't make me use this. You and I both know the damage I can do with it." Diamond began reaching behind her back, but stopped short when she was interrupted by another shot from India. Her aura flashed white for a brief moment as she stood her ground unfazed. As India was in between attacks, Diamond took the opportunity to throw her into the door. As she did this, everyone else in the room hurriedly huddled in the far corner.

India quickly recovered and began slashing at Diamond with all her might, but Diamond shut her down with a single punch to the face. "Grrrr… you shouldn't have done that." India's began to hiss as her eyes began to take on a golden glow. India dropped her hatchets and showed her exposed hands. "I guess it's time for the claws to come out!"

In the blink of an eye, India's fingers sharpened themselves to a point. With a roar, India rushed into Diamond, tackling her. The force of their impact shattered the wall behind them, sending the girls plummeting to the ground. Verse was unfortunate enough that his cloak got snagged by the claws, and he fell with them.

The impact onto the ground was enough to shatter India's aura and nearly deplete Diamond's. Verse was a bit more lucky. His aura absorbed the impact since he hadn't exhausted himself fighting. Diamond was able to get back up and began to charge for a finishing strike. As she lunged toward India's neck, a familiar voice rang out.

 **"HEY!"**

Professor Oro was towering over the three students, with another teacher standing beside him. The man to his right began to speak. "If you wanted to fight, you could've gone to any one of our sparring fields. But instead, it seems you three decided it would be more appropriate to blow a hole in a student dorm room!?"

Oro immediately calmed his partner's ire. "Sebastian, calm yourself. These are my students. I'll deal with them." He began to help them to their feet. "Now, I'm assuming this has something to do with what happened in class. Am I correct? Mr. Warden, do you care to explain yourself?"

Verse spoke up. "I had nothing to do with this. They destroyed my team's room and I happened to fall. But, you're right in assuming this was related to yesterday."

"I figured as much. All of you, come with me and we'll try to sort this nonsense out. Ms. Grapp, are you responsible in any way for this?"

Diamond got to her feet and answered meekly. "Yes."

Professor Mavi began to speak. "This has happened before? I suppose you need to learn that your actions will have consequences, young lady."


	26. Behind Locked Doors

Verse, India, and Diamond were assembled in the grand office at the top of the clocktower. Headmaster Pine glared at the three student from behind his desk, and a small council of instructors stood behind them.

Pine continued to speak. "So, if I am not mistaken, all of you, in addition to several other students, were in Team VOLN's dormitory. Some insults were flung, and you two ladies began fighting. You somehow managed to break through the reinforced dormitory walls and fall fifteen feet, dragging Mr. Warden with you. As you stood up, Miss Grapp, you decided to go for the kill. Am I correct?"

Diamond, India, and Verse all silently nodded their heads, while Oro spoke. "If I may interject, I think this may have something to do with my class. The other day, we were discussing the Faunus rights movement and the Belladonna Armistice. Some tensions were revealed, and these three were at the center. It was caused when Miss Grapp decided to say some choice words to the others. I believe things may have gone similarly today. Is this true?"

India answered with confidence. "Yes. I went in to personally apologize on this bitch's behalf for what she did to Verse. She then referred to us as animals and continued to throw it in our face. Celeste and Apel told me to keep an eye on her, and gave me permission to stand for myself if she kept insulting us. So, I stood my ground and-"

Headmaster Pine held up his hand to interrupt. "I've heard enough. It's pretty clear what happened. Verse, India, I apologize for wasting your time. You are free to leave."

"Miss Grapp, you and I have a lot to talk about."

As the other students and teachers left his office, Headmaster Pine was left staring down at his pupil. "Miss Grapp, we have already spoken about your utter disrespect for your fellow students. I warned you of the consequences of your actions. Now, I am not a harsh man. I believe strongly in giving every student a second chance. However, your repeated offenses have forced my hand.

You do not embody the honesty and integrity that a Huntress is supposed to possess. If you are more concerned with mistreating any fellow student who may happen to have horns or claws, than you do not deserve to be a Huntress. I tried to give you another chance to prove yourself, and unfortunately, you have proven yourself. You are not a Huntress."

Diamond, with a tear in her eye, began to beg for mercy. "No. You can't do this. Everyone in my family is a warrior. I can't break a four-generation chain!" Pine stopped her before she could say another word.

"Well, then it seems your family is going to be very disappointed with you. Allow me to explain exactly what's going on. With your attitude, you will never be a Huntress, at least not at my academy. If you wish to prove it to me, you'll need to learn some sense and humility."

"But for now, Miss Grapp, you can consider yourself expelled. I expect you to pack your belongings and be off campus by morning."


	27. Insanity

"Qara, I'm glad you could join us today. I had to call a little meeting for us higher-ups."

As Qara walked in to Baki's quarters, he was greeted by a new face. "Well, who's this little cutie, Baki? You find a new concubine?"

Baki responded to this by slapping the man in black. "You really should respect your superiors. This 'little cutie' is Licorice Hullu. I told you that we needed a new member, and she met our special qualifications." As he said this, Licorice stepped forward and approached Qara. "She's just the right amount of nuts that we need. She's sane enough to know exactly what she's doing, yet still unhinged to the point where she'll show no remorse. So, I suggest you treat her as you would myself or else I'll have to-"

Before he could finish, there was a loud knock at the door. As the door slowly creaked open, a woman with jet black hair walked in and spoke. "Sir." She continued as she bowed. "I have procured Creation from Mistral. Can't believe I didn't get to kill anyone. Would've been fun. Oh well." As she finished, the woman handed her leader a stylized teaset.

"Anai, you're just in time to meet our newest recruit, but thank you for bringing the relic. I have a good reason for sending you for it. Just keep it. You'll need it once we start Phase 2." Baki spoke with a slow, lowered tone. "For now, you all know what you must do. You are all dismissed, except for you, Li."

Licorice stood up before him. "What do you want me to do?"

Baki began to sport a devious grin. "We only one more relic, and I figured that since I found you in Vale, you might know the area better than I do. I need you to pay our old friend a visit. Find a time to take Choice, and don't hesitate to kill anyone in your way."

"Alright. Old Pine won't know what hit him."


	28. Breaking News

As team VOLN sat together at a table in the library, Professor Oro was at his computer watching the daily news broadcast.

"Alright guys, all bets are in. Orion, your hand?"

Orion showed a hand of five cards and exclaimed excitedly. "Boom. Let's see you beat a straight!"

Verse opened his hand to reveal a bombshell. "I did. Four aces. Now gimme all that!" As everyone else groaned in frustration, Verse dug into the pile of chocolate that had taken up the space of the table.

As Verse was busy devouring his winnings, Team CRNS walked into the library, with India by their side. As they entered, Cherie spoke up. "Hey, guys. Who's winning?"

Razz, with her infinite wisdom, chimed in. "I'm pretty sure Verse is. Just look at the five o'clock chocolate shadow."

Verse, in immediate response, wiped the snacks off his face. As the nine students continued their conversation, Oro came over and rose his voice. "I know you guys aren't too interested in the world around you, but I think you need to see this. Especially the two of you involved in Tuesday's little… incident."

As they stepped forward, Oro turned up the broadcast, and the news anchor's voice could be heard loud and clear. "... another incident in Vacuo. The suspected individuals have not been found. According to some sources, they have formed an organized ring known among locals as the Underground. It is believed that they are formed under the orders of one Cobalt Drew and Ezekiel Starr. You'll be the first to know as new information becomes available. Back to you, Crimson."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, Verse spoke up. "Dr. Oro, how can we get to Vacuo? I need to find him and kill him for everything he's done to me, to my family."

Before he could answer, Razz butted in. "It's not all about you, Verse. I've got my own stake in this."

Oro cut them both off. "I figured this would be important to you guys. I'll try to pull some strings, but I can't make any promises. You know I care about you guys."


	29. Road Trip

"Alright. I hope you guys are all packed. I was able to pull some strings and get you an airship to Vacuo. Just, be safe. Try not to get too caught up in revenge. It happened to me once, not pretty. Verse, try to keep your head, okay?" As Dr. Oro finished up, the nine students stepped foot onto the airship. Before they could disappear, Oro continued to speak to them. "By the way guys, since I have some second-year classes, I can't go with you. But, I think you should go with someone. Luckily for you guys, Professor Mavi has agreed to help you. Listen to every word he says. He's smarter than he lets on."

With that, Teams VOLN and CRNS, alongside India, set off on their journey. As they took off, they watched Beacon Tower disappear on the horizon. Before they could take in the astounding view, things got a little dicey. The airship hit a rough spot, and the resulting turbulence forced Verse out of his chair and into the lap of one very annoyed redhead. "Damnnit, Verse! How many times do I have to tell you to watch the horns!?" As Verse stood up from Cherie, he just looked away, to notice a small table in the middle of the ship.

"You know, we're probably going to be here for a few hours. I've got a deck of cards in my bag if any of you want to play." Verse started pulling out a small deck of playing cards and setting them up on the table, before he was shut down by Lyla.

"I would, but you already ate all of our chocolate stash from last time! Since none of us have anything to bet, it's just not gonna happen."

At this, Razz chimed in. "Yeah, I value my food, so no thanks, blondie." This, in turn sparked a bit of an argument among most of the students, leaving the twins to sit alone on the sidelines.

"How do you think this is going to go down, Nya?"

Sage got her answer immediately. "Well, it's either going to be awesome, or it'll be a complete train wreck. Maybe both."

As the students continued their brawl, something else entirely was going on in the cargo hold below them. A familiar face popped herself out from behind a bag in the cold sublevels of the ship. As she whipped her white hair out of her face, she grinned smugly.

"They didn't think they could get rid of me that easily, did they? I'll make sure that whiny brat pays for getting me expelled."


	30. Race to Recon

"I have to admit, you've gotten better, Green, but you're still going to eat my wind dust!" As Lyla propelled herself forward, Verse was struggling to keep up.

"Are you forgetting something?" Verse pulled forward with his glider, passing directly over her head. "We're on recon! And by the way, you're not winning again!"

Verse dove down for a huge burst of speed, completely outclassing his teammate. Eventually, he began to lose steam and landed down on the Vacuese desert sands. As he landed, his glider faded into green specks of light. Lyla started flying circles around the now immobile Verse, taunting. "Y'see, that's the difference between your gliders and mine. Yours doesn't last. Your semblance can't go forever. Not to mention, yours is just a wind glider, while mine actually has propulsion. Face it, Verse, you'll never beat me in a flying race."

As Lyla packed up her weapon, she landed near where he was standing. Verse immediately spoke up. "So, Lyla, did you see anything useful? Mavi said we need a place to land."

"Uhh, yeah. I think I glimpsed a village back to the south. Let's go let them know." Lyla picked Verse up by the arm and proceeded to fly back to the waiting airship. "Hey, Mavi, we found something! There's a small village with a landing strip about two miles south by southeast."

As they got back and shared the news, Professor Mavi laughed with a small twinkle in his eye. "I think I know which village you're talking about. I thought I recognized this area. That village is Minue. It's where I grew up, but that was another time!"

As the airship turned, the students and Mavi were bound for Minue.


	31. Minue

As Mavi pulled the ship closer, they were able to land in the quaint village of Minue. As they disembarked from the airship, Mavi started to speak up. "Alright, students. Welcome to Minue. Now, I'd love to give you guys the dollar tour, but it's getting late. There's an inn a mile east of here. We'll need three rooms. India, you can stay with me. The rest of you will room as teams."

After a few minutes of walking, the students finally arrived at the Jasmine Inn. Upon walking into the doorway, Professor Mavi was greeting by a man with a gray beard and a wide smile. Mavi took a look at his nametag and his eyes lit up. "Mark?"

Immediately, the innkeeper responded. "Wow. It's been years! How have you been, Sebastian?" He stood up to give Mavi a hug.

Before he could react, Mavi gestured for the students to enter. "I've been great, but now isn't the time to reconnect. I'm here with some of my students on official business. We need three rooms for the night. We're tracking down some criminals that have personal beef with one of the students, and we needed someone to tag along. Do you think you could hook us up?"

Mark was able to regain his composure. "For you, anything." He took a look at the group of students and a look of disapproval filled his face. "On second thought, no. We don't serve their kind here. It's not up to me. It's company policy. No faunus allowed."

Immediately, Mavi filled with rage. "Listen, Mark. I don't care about company policy. Do you guys serve Huntsmen?" Mark nodded his head in confirmation. "Then you WILL serve my students, or we will simply commandeer the rooms without payment. Because this, Mark, is official business, and by refusing to serve them, you are actively hindering Huntsmen on the job. I'm sure the council would hate to hear about that, wouldn't they?" With a grimace, Mark finally complied.

"Fine. You guys can have rooms nine through eleven. Just don't expect any special treatment from the staff."

As they went to their rooms for the night, there was still more going on in the airship. Diamond was waiting for the right moment to leave. As soon as night fell, she was able to go out eastward into the village. After walking for what felt like hours, she ran into a man clad in a fancy suit.

"Oh, hello, princess. You're a bit far from home, aren't ya? I'd hate for you to get lost. Why don't you come with me? I've got some friends who you'd fit in with nicely."


	32. High Alert

As the new day began to dawn upon the village of Minue, Verse and the other students began to open their eyes. Well rested, they were now ready to find answers. As they checked out of the inn, everyone went their own way.

Verse and Team VOLN began to head eastward toward the main square, while Team CRNS headed west to the village hall. India and Mavi stayed near the inn to ask locals. Team VOLN searched for hours. During that time, they came across a mere three people, and none had any information on the Underground.

Bored out of their wits, they decided to dedicate some time to spar with one another. Verse paired with Noir as Orion and Lyla linked together. Orion struck first, spraying Verse and Noir with a barrage of bullets. As they were forced to back off, Noir escaped to the side, using his shadow to restrain Lyla. It took a little wiggling, but Lyla managed to break out.

After trading blows for an hour, they were all exhausted. Noir had the brilliant idea to return to the inn to catch up with the others. Meanwhile, CRNS was having the same amount of luck with their side of town. Eventually, they had the same thought. Everyone reconvened at the inn with the same story to tell: nobody knew anything about the criminals.

They quickly decided to head to the center of town where they would ask anyone they could. Two hours later and there were still no leads toward the location of the Underground. They continued their search until the sun began to go down before making the collective decision to return to the hotel for the night.

"I guess they're just not in this village. Maybe we should try another village tomorrow." Lyla chimed in just as they were getting back to their rooms. "Maybe we'll find some clues about the Underground there." Just as Lyla spoke up, another guest in the inn took notice. He was short and unimpressive, dressed in a nice crimson suit.

"Wait, are you guys looking for the Underground? I think I might know somethin'. The name's Damien. I've heard they're doing somethin' to the south side of town."


	33. Connections

"So, princess. Where are you from?"

As Diamond followed closely behind the mysterious man, he eventually came to a stop near an expansive campground. "Okay. Who are you and where are we? Is this another village?"

The man turned and scowled at her for her supposed stupidity. "My name is Tyler. I'm just taking you to be with a few of my friends. Together, we run this town, and judging by that thing on your back, I'm assuming you're a fighter. We could use someone like you."

As they arrived at the campground, Tyler yelled out. "Gentlemen of the Underground, we have a new recruit!" As he said this, several people came out of their tents, including two men with white hair. One, wearing a fine blue suit, and the other in a yellow parka. The man in blue spoke up.

"Brean. I don't remember giving you permission to find new recruits, so you had better have a damn good reason for this." As he spoke, the man continued to look over the scared little girl. "Actually, you could be pretty useful to us. How do you like causing a little chaos?"

Diamond, not knowing what to do, simply replied, "I don't mind chaos."

The man once again returned to examining her. "She's a potential. I know her type. Huntress. As for you," he turned back to face Diamond. "Welcome. Welcome to the Underground. Keep a close eye on her, Tyler. She should prove useful."

As Tyler and Diamond left, he answered back. "Of course. Call us if you need anything, Cobalt."

The man eventually went back to his tent, but was distracted by a call on his scroll.

 _"_ _Hey, boss. It's Damien. I found some people snooping around looking for us. Meet in the south, and we'll show them what happens when you mess with us."_


	34. Memento Mori

As the moon began to rise upon the city of Minue, Damien and his followers began to set up camp for the night. With a fire lit and shelters pitched, the students and guides began to drift slowly to sleep.

"You really are an idiot, you know that?"

Verse was awoken by the sound of a familiar voice. Opening his eyes, once again he saw Sky watching over him with a scornful look. As soon as she had his attention, she went right back to chastising him.

"So, I tell you to run since people know where you are, and you just stay there. Then, you ignore me about hiding and instead choose to **GO LOOKING FOR HIM**!? What, are you crazy? You and I both know he'll tear you to shreds once he finds out who you are."

Verse once again started to speak up. "Look I have bigger things to worry about. I had a weird dream the night they learned the truth. Some guy in white. He said he knew you and sent you to me. What the hell was that about?"

Sky immediately gained a look of shock on her face. "Wait. Centani showed his face… to you? Look, I haven't known him long. I just woke up a few years ago and this guy was there. He asked for my story and I told him. Then he sent me away, and I saw you again. That was the first time I saw you since Mandala. But, he never told me how or why I could still see you."

"Well, did he ever say anything else.?" Verse became adamant to find an explanation. "I mean who is he? WHAT is he? Why does he suddenly care about someone he doesn't know?"

"I keep telling you, Verse, I don't know! He was talking nonsense about souls and legends and junk! Whatever he's hiding, he won't let me in on it, much less you!" With all this, Sky began to fade back into the light.

 _"_ _The only thing I know is that he mentioned something about Jericho, whatever that means."_


	35. Chase

"Hey. Get up. We need to keep moving."

As everyone slowly rolled out of bed, they were greeted by the harsh Vacuo sun and the swirling clouds of dust. The tents that had been pitched before found themselves being completely uprooted, ready to be set down for the next night.

So, the students pressed onward toward the purported hideaway of the Underground. After a quick breakfast, they continued their journey through the deserts. Eventually, the party began to grow weary and tired once again.

"Didn't we already pass that cactus before?" Cherie was the first to speak her mind, crying out in boredom. Damien immediately reprimanded the girl, claiming to know every inch of the region. They continued to traverse the barren realm until midday, when the sands were at their hottest.

As hope was dwindling for Mavi and the students, they began to slow down. Eventually, Damien stopped in a clearing surrounded on all sides by rocks.

"Guess what? We're here." Damien spoke out, and everyone else hastily stopped to catch their breath. "We're here, and you're all idiots."

Damien whistled sharply, and various people came out from behind the rocks, including a few familiar faces. India immediately recognized what was going on, and the claws quickly came out. However, she was stopped short when a loud noise echoed through the path.

"I've been wondering when you'd all show up. I've been meaning to get you back for what you did. Maybe now that I'm the one in control, you'll listen to me." Diamond quickly came out from behind one of the larger stones, brandishing her weapon openly like never before. Suddenly, another voice rang through the chaos.

"Princess, what did I tell you about thinking you were in charge here? Get back behind us. Let the real men do our jobs." A tall man with a mustache and auburn hair grabbed her by the wrist and threw her back.

A look of horror dawned on Orion's face as he realized just who he was dealing with. One by one, more people came out from hiding, including a true nightmare for Razz and Verse.

"Surprise! What else did you think was going to happen when you mess with the Underground?'


	36. Demons of the Past

"Well, well, well. It looks like we've stumbled upon some nitwits who think they can mess with our little organization."

Out from behind the largest boulder stepped two men, one dressed in gold, and one dressed in blue. Both were older men, their hair greeting from the passage of time. Razz reeled in horror when she saw the one in yellow, as did Verse with blue. Both were immediately taken aback by the blast from their pasts.

"You. You're the one who pretended to be my dad. Raised me in a brothel! You said you loved me!" Razz broke off two of her spines and assumed her traditional reverse grip.

The man in gold simply and coldly replied. "You should know better than to speak like that to me. I never said I loved you, Razz. I loved the money I could make off you, but it seems you never fulfilled your services to my customer. Cobalt, how does that make you feel?"

Cobalt simply brushed off the question. "I could care less about your whore, Starr. It's the other one that bothers me." He took a quick, close look at Verse. "It's you, isn't it? The little faunus boy from back in Mandala? I knew we shouldn't have left you in the woods to die. Now I guess I'll have to finish the job myself."

Cobalt gestured with his hand, and more of the Underground sprung up and restrained the rest of their party, leaving Verse and Razz standing alone. Cobalt and Ezekiel quickly seized the opportunity, drawing their guns.

"How should I do this, kid? A simple bullet to the head, or should I make you suffer like you deserve? Maybe I'll let you meet the same fate of your bratty little sister!"

Immediately, Cobalt lunged toward the pair with his guns blazing.

TO BE CONTINUED


	37. Vengeance

Immediately, Cobalt lunged toward the pair with his guns blazing.

Before he had time to react, Verse was knocked flat on his back. Cobalt started going after Razz next, but she already had her spines drawn. Holding two of them in a reverse grip, she began to swing wildly. While Cobalt was trying to beat her into submission with the butt of his pistols, she was blocking and countering every blow.

Verse quickly regained his composure and rose to his feet, drawing out the Falchion Lyric. As it opened up, Verse quickly took aim and unloaded a clip into the madman. Not that it did anything to faze him. However, Verse wasn't trying to break him, only distract him for a few crucial gave Razz her opening to brutally hack and slash her way out of captivity.

Cobalt was finally staggered, but he refused to give in. However, for some reason, he wasn't showing any sign of slowing down. After a quick reload, Verse was once again able to unload six rounds into the man, and this time it seemed to do something. In a quick flash, Cobalt's aura burned blue. It was finally broken, but Cobalt himself was no worse for wear.

"Uggh, I've had enough of this. Everybody regroup at the other base!" Cobalt began speaking into a small headpiece around his ear. "8-Ball, I need Evac plan 23K. Now."

As he gave the order, a man, dressed in black and white, came in over the horizon with an airship. Within minutes, they were all gone, and the ship had vanished to the south.

Once the dust cleared, the students were left behind.

"Great. My one chance to get back at the guy who ruined my life and I blow it."

Verse started out sprinting in vain in the general direction the airship took off, but to no avail. After running for a few minutes, he finally gave up. As he slumped down into a heap in the sands, the rest of his class caught up to him.

"Perfect. What do you expect us to do now, Mavi?"

Mavi stood Verse back up to his feet, giving him a swig of his water to cool down..

"The answer seems pretty clear to me, Mr. Warden. _We get back to our ship and follow them_."


	38. Furia Bound

"How are we supposed to follow them? They're already gone." Razz was hesitant to believe there was a chance at earning her justice.

Once everyone returned to the airship, Mavi took the wheel. Leaving no time for preparation, he took off, sending the nine students careening into each other. When the ship was finally airborne, he came over the intercom.

"I bet you're wondering where we're going. It's simple. The Underground took off, traveling due south, and I know this area like the back of my hand. The only village to the south of here is a little town called Furia, about 150 miles off. Get comfortable; this will be a while. All of you get some rest and prepare for a fight. That's an order!"

Without even so much as a moment's hesitation, the students were soundly in their bunks, leaving Mavi alone to pilot the ship.

As the hours ticked by, the students began waking up, one by one. They all gathered, bored, in the main compartment of the vehicle. Their attention was slowly shifted to the center of the room. A table was set up, with a very familiar statuette poking from a square sheet of cardboard. Quickly, the realization dawned on them. Just as suddenly, Nyanza's voice rang out above the noise.

"Hey, guys. Anyone want to play a quick game of Grimm & Gargoyles while we wait?"

Immediately, the entire room jumped at the opportunity and began to set up the pieces of the board game. However, not everyone was entertaining the idea of dominating one's opponent through sheer might and depravity. Instead, fate played a cruel card. A bout of turbulence threw the castle piece out the opening, where it landed and embedded itself within the sands below.

As an argument began to break out over who lost the most crucial piece in the game, the ship came to a sudden halt upon landfall.

"Alright, guys. That's enough blather. Grab your weapons; we're here."


	39. Divided

"Alright. Grab your gear and get moving. I'll stay airborne in case you guys need an evac."

Mavi quickly landed the ship in the outskirts of Furia village. The students, hyped and ready for action, immediately drew their weapons and disembarked from the vessel. It took them a while, but they eventually caught a view of the city.

The first visage of the town was horrendous. The buildings, once standing tall and proud, had been left to rot for years. There were holes in the walls visible from a mile out. Either this was the site of a Grimm attack in years past, or someone had dropped a dust bomb and left everybody in town to die. It was gruesome, save in part for a small building at the epicenter of town.

There, lying among the waste, was a small white building. It was a church, a safe haven for those who had been weary and downtrodden. It stood in stark contrast against the desolate ghost town surrounding it, instead appearing very neat and well-kept.

"Twenty lien says that's where those idiots are holing out." Rage was building steadily in Razz's voice.

One by one, the students all leapt forward and began making their way to their destination. After ten minutes of walking, they were finally at the doorstep of the hideaway.

Not one to wait patiently for revenge, Verse took over and kicked the doors in. To nobody's surprise, the students were greeted by the very people who tried to kill them a few hours ago. As they entered, Cobalt spoke up.

"Wow. I thought you huntsmen were idiots, but walking up to MY front door, and delivering yourselves to us on a silver platter? You're a bigger bunch of fools than I ever imagined. Divide and conquer, gentlemen. This is gonna be fun!"

A few men came up from the back and grabbed Cherie and the twins, making haste to tie them with rope and throw them into another room in the corner of the building. As Razz and India tried to go after them, a door slammed and they were trapped with the likes of Tyler, Ezekiel, and Diamond.

Meanwhile, this left team VOLN trapped themselves, staring down Cobalt and his goons. They all drew their weapons and leapt forward…

TO BE CONTINUED


	40. Stand Up, Part 1

India and Razz were trapped, alone with three criminals who most definitely wanted them dead. India made the first move, drawing out her claws while Razz picked off a few of her quills.

As she leapt forward for the first strike, India felt a hard boot hitting the side of her face. Looking up, she saw her former friend glaring down at her. Before she could process what had happened, all she could see was the bottom of her sole.

"Don't you get that I'm just better than you, kitty? There's a reason ol' Pine made ME the leader."

India once again felt the full fury of Diamond's stomp. It felt like a thousand pounds of force bearing down on her head. However, before she was fully crushed, Razz was able to come in and swipe at the would-be assailant, setting her off-balance and allowing India to get back to her feet.

Without hesitation, Ezekiel and Tyler pulled out their weapons: an assault rifle and baseball bat respectively. While Ezekiel began spraying rounds throughout the room, Ezekiel got a bit more close and personal. Diamond, tired, stood behind until Tyler spoke up.

"Hey, Princess, we're not keeping you alive so you can slack around. Get in there and do somethin', ya worthless little brat!"

With a harsh awakening, Diamond immediately leapt into the fray.

Meanwhile, Team VOLN was engaged in their own heated battle against Cobalt and his goons. A few stray rounds of ammo proved enough to take Noir and Orion out of the fight. 8-Ball and Damien started to play dirty. After some quick maneuvering, 8-Ball placed a small mine on Lyla. Upon detonation, she, too had her aura mostly depleted. Damien quickly moved in, tying the three disabled huntsmen up in rope, with a gun pointed at each of their heads.

As they did this, the hallway door swung open, revealing the ending result of the other bout. Razz and India, too, were bound and gagged with a gun pointed at them. Cobalt strolled slowly towards Verse and smacked away his sword, speaking in a hushed tone.

"Well, it looks like you're in a bit of a bind, kid. All your friends at my disposal. But you know me. You know by now how much I hate loose ends. So, I'll make you a deal."

Cobalt handed Verse his pistol.

"You can either save yourself, just like you did back in Mandala, and watch your friends die one… by… one… just like you did with your dear sister. Or, you can end yourself, admit that there are no heroes in this world. You can pull the trigger, and I'll let them all go. Be warned, though. One wrong move, and I'll gladly execute you AND your friends."

 _"_ _Choose wisely, kid."_

TO BE CONTINUED


	41. Stand Up, Part 2 (Volume 2 Finale)

"One wrong move and I'll happily execute you AND your friends. Choose wisely, kid."

Verse's hand was trembling with dread, but he managed to pick up Cobalt's gun. He spoke, his voice faltering and timid.

"Okay, Cobalt. _You win_. I'll do it, but I need to see you let them go. I need to know you won't go back on your word."

"Now, boy, d'ya think I'm some kinda idiot? Ya don't get to where I am by bein' stupid. End it, and then I'll let them go. Besides, I don't take back my word. Even back then, I promised I'd eradicate the faunus in Mandala, and I did. I promised rewards for the hunters, and they were paid. I promised food for my men, and they haven't gone hungry in years. D'ya really believe I'd welch on a deal? Now, that's enough talk. I want to see the light fade from your eyes."

Slowly, Verse began to hold the gun up to his head. "Fine. But just know, these guys are the only family I've got..."

He paused, with a newfound fire in his eyes.

"And **NOBODY** fucks with my family!"

With a quick fan of the hammer, Verse was able to pelt Damien and 8-Ball between the eyes as they slowly dropped to the ground, and a lucky round nailed Ezekiel in the left leg. Cobalt, left without his weapon, could do nothing, so he gave the order to fire.

However, Tyler refused, instead passing the order down to Diamond.

"It'd be so poetic. A girl taken out by her former friend. Hey, Princess, go ahead and pull the trigger before we pull it for you."

"Gladly."

From her back, Diamond drew her weapon, a small handheld cannon, and swiftly pulled the trigger.

 **BANG!**

As the dust cleared, everyone looked around to see who ended on the wrong end of the barrel. After a quick glance around the room, Berse saw what used to be Tyler's head lying on the ground, but it had been reduced to nothing more than a bloody pulp. Diamond eventually spoke.

"I was getting sick of that guy, anyway."

In all the chaos, Cobalt and his pistol were nowhere to be found, but the students decided to cut their losses and call it a day. With a majority of the criminals lying dead and Ezekiel in chains, they set out, back to Mavi's airship.

"So… What do we do now?" Orion was the first to address the Goliath in the room. "I mean, this was the end of the semester. Where do we go?"

Cherie spoke first. "Well, we'll probably go back to the orphanage to be with Dan and our family. India, Diamond, you're welcome to come along. But I have no idea what you guys'll do."

Lyla looked around the area, and realized that her team had nowhere to go. "Wait. I think I have an idea."

"Why don't you come stay with my fam back on Chalice. I'm sure they'd love to have you."

 **END OF VOLUME TWO**

 **…**

"Qara, I have returned with Creation, but I'm worried there's a traitor. I don't trust Grand Initiate Baki. I think I'm being hunted."

Qara's hands were engulfed in a blackness. "I know, young Anai. I don't trust him either. And, for the record, you are being hunted.

With a flash of light, Anai was gone, and Qara was in a coma on the ground. Baki walked in, noticing the silver goblet and his associate on the ground.

"Anai did well. Creation and Knowledge, all mine. If only I could find the traitor who stole Destruction."


End file.
